What is Roman chamomile?

Roman chamomile is a low, spreading garden herb with small white-and-yellow daisy flowers. The dried flowers are brewed as a mild tea. The flowers also give an essential oil used in scent products and massage blends.

It comes from European folk medicine. People took it for an unsettled stomach, for restlessness at bedtime, and for sore or itchy skin. Long use like this is not proof that it works, and it is not proof that it is safe.

The honest verdict: human evidence for Roman chamomile is very thin. Most chamomile research used German chamomile, which is a different plant. Do not assume findings carry across.

It is also sold as Römische Kamille, English chamomile or garden chamomile. The tea is a low-risk drink for most adults. The essential oil is a stronger product and needs more care.

How does Roman chamomile work?

No one has shown in people how Roman chamomile produces its calming reputation. Most of what is claimed comes from the lab bench, not from patients.

The plant holds apigenin, a flavonoid (a plant pigment compound). In animal and cell studies, apigenin binds to GABA receptors, the same brake system that sleeping pills act on. Whether a cup of tea reaches those receptors in a person is not established.

In tests on strips of animal gut, chamomile extracts relaxed the muscle. That is the basis for the old use in cramps and wind. It has not been confirmed as a clinical effect in human trials.

In cell studies, the oil's ester compounds and flavonoids damp some inflammation signals. In test tubes, the oil slows the growth of some bacteria and yeasts. What happens on real skin is unclear.

For aromatherapy, part of any benefit may come from the ritual and the smell itself. Pleasant scents can lower reported stress in short studies. That is not the same as a drug effect.

What forms does Roman chamomile come in?

Roman chamomile is sold in a few simple forms.

- Dried whole flowers, loose or in tea bags.

- Tea bags blended with other calming herbs, such as lemon balm or lavender.

- Tincture, an alcohol extract taken in drops.

- Essential oil, for diffusers or for mixing into a carrier oil.

- Creams, balms and bath products.

- Capsules of dried flower powder, less common than the tea.

- Hydrosol or flower water, a weak scented spray.

Labels often say only "chamomile". If you want this species, check the pack for Chamaemelum nobile or Anthemis nobilis. German chamomile appears as Matricaria recutita or Matricaria chamomilla.

Where it comes from:

Roman chamomile has a long record in European folk medicine. It was grown in physic and cottage gardens across Britain, France and Germany from at least the sixteenth century.

Herbals of that era listed it as a tea for colic, wind and a sour stomach. It was also used as a warm compress on aching joints and as a wash for sore skin. Nurses gave weak brews to fretful children, a practice that modern doctors treat with far more caution.

The plant was once laid as a scented lawn, released when walked on. The name "Roman" came from a nineteenth-century botanist who found it growing near Rome. It was never a Roman remedy in the historical sense.

What does Roman chamomile help with?

• Mild upset stomach, wind and cramping: This is the oldest European use for the tea. Herbals called it a stomach-settler after heavy food. The lab support is indirect. Chamomile extracts relaxed gut muscle in animal tissue studies. No good human trial has tested Roman chamomile for indigestion. A warm drink alone eases some people's stomach discomfort. That makes the herb's own role hard to judge.
• Trouble winding down at bedtime: Chamomile tea is a very common bedtime habit. It is not a sleeping drug and should not be treated as one. The sleep trials that exist mostly used German chamomile extract. Results were small and mixed. Roman chamomile itself has barely been tested for sleep in people. If you cannot sleep most nights for weeks, that needs a doctor, not a tea.
• Everyday stress and worry, used as a scent: This is the use with the most Roman chamomile research, and that research is still weak. Small trials have had people breathe the oil before surgery, during dialysis or in hospice care. Some reported lower anxiety scores. The studies were short, small, and hard to blind, since the smell is obvious. Take it as a pleasant comfort measure, not a treatment for an anxiety disorder.
• Mild skin irritation and itch: Folk practice used cooled tea as a wash and the oil in salves. In cell studies, chamomile compounds damp some inflammation signals. The best-known skin trial used a German chamomile cream, not this plant. Chamomile can also cause the rash it is meant to soothe. If your skin stings or reddens, stop.
• Nausea, used as a scent: Inhaled Roman chamomile oil has been tried for sickness after surgery and during chemotherapy. A few small trials reported less nausea than no scent. The trials were low quality, and plain breathing exercises can give similar scores. This does not replace anti-sickness medicine your doctor prescribes.
• Sore mouth or gums, as a rinse: Chamomile rinses appear in old European dentistry and in home care for mouth sores. In test tubes, the oil slows some mouth bacteria. Human trials for this plant are essentially absent. Never swallow the essential oil to treat a mouth problem. A mouth sore lasting over three weeks needs checking.

Which foods are rich in Roman chamomile?

Roman chamomile is not a nutrient, so no food is rich in it. It appears as a flavouring in some teas, bitters and liqueurs.

What are the side effects of Roman chamomile?

• Allergic skin rash or hives, especially from the oil or a cream
• Itching or tingling in the mouth and throat
• Drowsiness
• Nausea or vomiting from large amounts
• Eye stinging and redness if used as an eyewash
• Contact rash in people who handle the plant often
• Rare severe allergic reaction, with swelling of the face or throat and trouble breathing

Good to know:

Most adults drink the tea without trouble. Allergy is the one problem that matters.

Roman chamomile is in the daisy family, along with ragweed, marigold and chrysanthemum. If you react to those, you may react to this. Skin rash from the oil or creams is the usual form.

Severe reactions are rare but real and have been reported with chamomile products. Swelling of the lips, face or throat is an emergency.

How much Roman chamomile should you take?

• Recommended daily: This page gives no personal dose. What follows is the kind of amount printed on tea and tincture labels. Tea labels usually list 1 to 3 grams of dried flowers per cup, taken up to three times a day. Tincture labels carry their own drop count, which varies with strength. Essential oil is a different matter. It is for scent or for diluting into a carrier oil, never for swallowing. Follow the product label and ask a pharmacist if anything is unclear.
• Best time of day: Timing is mostly down to the reason you are using it. The herb has no proven clock-based effect. For winding down, people drink the tea in the hour before bed. For stomach discomfort, it is usually taken after a meal. If it makes you drowsy, keep it away from driving and machinery.
• With or without food: Food makes little difference, and no study has compared the two. Many people drink the tea after eating, which fits the traditional stomach use. If the tincture stings or turns your stomach, taking it with food may help. Tea with a meal may slightly reduce iron uptake from that meal. That matters only if you are low in iron.
• Time to effect: A scent acts within minutes if it acts at all. Tea for a settled stomach is usually judged within an hour. For sleep and stress, any change tends to be slow and small. Several nights may pass before you can tell. Be ready for it to do nothing. For most of these uses the evidence is too thin to expect a clear result.
• How long to take it: Short runs are the norm. People tend to use the tea for a few days around a specific problem, or now and then at night. No trial has tested long daily use of Roman chamomile for safety. So there is no honest upper limit to quote. If you still need it every day after two or three weeks, the underlying problem has not been solved. That is a reason to see a doctor.